Where Has My America Gone
Ken Hughes
June 29, 2008
I must have been daydreaming these past 50 years, I woke up this morning and my America was no where to be found. What I did find was a presidential race out of control. Presidential candidates were promising the votes things they have no way of delivering, let alone pay for. Much of what they promise only effects a small portions of the public, these men seem to be pandering to selects groups expecting if packaged these groups will bring them success. They seem to be ignoring the vast number of middle America voters who they obviously haven't considered. Unless they plan on changing strategy and refocusing their efforts and promises in another direction. However that would mean leaving their primary constituents, those who got them to this point in the dust. It's called a rock and a hard place.
I'm guessing, but it's conceivably this 2008 presidential election will have cost more than the entire Revolutionary War. Even adjusting for 230 year of inflation the cost of presidential elections have gotten out of hand when one can cost more than establishing an entire nation. The total cost of the 2008 presidential election can easily reach a billion dollars. That may not be tax payer money per say, however the contributors will expect to be re-payed with tax payer money one way or another. The election process doesn't mean that much to the average citizen any longer. As long as the public isn't ask to do any heavy lifting they seem satisfied.
I've often wondered if those men who gave their lives at Concord, Vicksburg, San Juan Hill, The trenches in France and the beaches at Normandy could come back and sit in on one session of congress what their assessment would be?. I wonder if they would think their sacrifice was worth it.
Commerce is the fuel that feed this nation, industries that make or import good necessary for our very existence are being villainsed by congress to cover their own sins. We are the only nation on earth who barrows from their neighbor rather than dip into their own reserves, I'm referring to oil the one essential that if not managed wisely can sink the economy. Congress with the help of the Media have totally distorted both the true meaning and the necessity of oil and its ownership. Every argument in favor of oil can be voiced in the past or present tense, every argument against oil is voiced in the future tense, [maybe, might, possibly etc.] There's no creditable science to back up the myths regarding oils negative impact on the environment vs. it benefits. The second thing to go into a babies mouth is a plastic pacifier [made from oil] the last thing to go on the deceased person are the polyester garment [made form oil.] Then there are those thousands of things that touch us throughout our lives, most of them made from oil. Do we really want to give this up to eat soybean soup the rest of our lives?
With all the extravagant expenditures being made by both party candidates are obscene, the end results will be the same whom ever wins the presidency. Who among us believes congress will sit passively and allow a new president to tell them how, what and when to do specific things. That isn't how congress works, there are 535 of them and only one president. A presidents authority is curbed by the advice and consent of congress. Congress is held in check by the presidents veto authority, the founding fathers understood the nature of man and set in place the necessary road blocks curbing absolute authority by any branch of government. They intended the voters would hold the balance of power in their hands, I'm sure voter participation in our current government would be a disappointment to the founding fathers.
The public has an opportunity and a duty to become more participatory in the coming 2008 election, our economy is at stake. The public can voice to their congressmen and women the need for America to become more energy independent by opening up off shore drilling and ANWAR. Neither Alaska nor off shore drilling has had any adverse effects on the environment. Quite the contrary the natural habitat has benefited from the off shore rigs and the pipeline. We have the reserves tell congress to use them to bring down the price of energy.
Do we really want panders representing us whose words and decisions must be run past focus groups before being voiced by the politician? Must every utterance a politician makes pass the PC smell test before it's safe to say? Are these men or mice who claim to have the wisdom to manage this great country?
Paraphrasing Benjamen Franklyn when reporting on the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of Philadelphia, We've given you a nation now it's up to you to keep it! He was speaking to the public not congress.
I'm guessing, but it's conceivably this 2008 presidential election will have cost more than the entire Revolutionary War. Even adjusting for 230 year of inflation the cost of presidential elections have gotten out of hand when one can cost more than establishing an entire nation. The total cost of the 2008 presidential election can easily reach a billion dollars. That may not be tax payer money per say, however the contributors will expect to be re-payed with tax payer money one way or another. The election process doesn't mean that much to the average citizen any longer. As long as the public isn't ask to do any heavy lifting they seem satisfied.
I've often wondered if those men who gave their lives at Concord, Vicksburg, San Juan Hill, The trenches in France and the beaches at Normandy could come back and sit in on one session of congress what their assessment would be?. I wonder if they would think their sacrifice was worth it.
Commerce is the fuel that feed this nation, industries that make or import good necessary for our very existence are being villainsed by congress to cover their own sins. We are the only nation on earth who barrows from their neighbor rather than dip into their own reserves, I'm referring to oil the one essential that if not managed wisely can sink the economy. Congress with the help of the Media have totally distorted both the true meaning and the necessity of oil and its ownership. Every argument in favor of oil can be voiced in the past or present tense, every argument against oil is voiced in the future tense, [maybe, might, possibly etc.] There's no creditable science to back up the myths regarding oils negative impact on the environment vs. it benefits. The second thing to go into a babies mouth is a plastic pacifier [made from oil] the last thing to go on the deceased person are the polyester garment [made form oil.] Then there are those thousands of things that touch us throughout our lives, most of them made from oil. Do we really want to give this up to eat soybean soup the rest of our lives?
With all the extravagant expenditures being made by both party candidates are obscene, the end results will be the same whom ever wins the presidency. Who among us believes congress will sit passively and allow a new president to tell them how, what and when to do specific things. That isn't how congress works, there are 535 of them and only one president. A presidents authority is curbed by the advice and consent of congress. Congress is held in check by the presidents veto authority, the founding fathers understood the nature of man and set in place the necessary road blocks curbing absolute authority by any branch of government. They intended the voters would hold the balance of power in their hands, I'm sure voter participation in our current government would be a disappointment to the founding fathers.
The public has an opportunity and a duty to become more participatory in the coming 2008 election, our economy is at stake. The public can voice to their congressmen and women the need for America to become more energy independent by opening up off shore drilling and ANWAR. Neither Alaska nor off shore drilling has had any adverse effects on the environment. Quite the contrary the natural habitat has benefited from the off shore rigs and the pipeline. We have the reserves tell congress to use them to bring down the price of energy.
Do we really want panders representing us whose words and decisions must be run past focus groups before being voiced by the politician? Must every utterance a politician makes pass the PC smell test before it's safe to say? Are these men or mice who claim to have the wisdom to manage this great country?
Paraphrasing Benjamen Franklyn when reporting on the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of Philadelphia, We've given you a nation now it's up to you to keep it! He was speaking to the public not congress.